On March 31, I gave a presentation for Radford University’s celebration of Women’s History Month. I love this annual tradition, and every year I try to contribute something about women and creative writing. This year’s theme was “Leading the Change: Women Shaping a Sustainable Future,” and I realized that theme was a perfect fit for author Marilou Awiakta.
Marilou Awiakta’s work was featured in one of my first “Author Spotlight” posts, but writing a book or three might be more fitting! Her friendship with Radford University is celebrated with a display by the Archives in McConnell Library. Visitors are welcome to check out the display. However, iif the drive is too long, the searchable digital collection includes interviews and readings with her from 1984, 1990, and 2007. Now that’s a lifetime friendship.
Here is my first post about Marilou Awiakta. And here are search results from some of the online gems from Radford University’s archives. (A broadside of her poem “Selu,’” namesake of the Selu Conservancy at Radford University, is included.)
Finally, don’t miss Writers by the River: Reflections on 40+ Years of the Highland Summer Conference, edited by Grace Toney Edwards and Donia Eley. The book includes reflections and creative work by an array of authors who are part of the HSC tradition, including a moving essay by Marilou Awiakta herself.
